1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to caller ID equipment which displays the incoming telephone number and/or household name of a calling party, together with the location associated with the incoming telephone number.
2. Description of Related Art
Many telephone companies offer a special service called Caller ID. Using Caller ID, a caller""s telephone number and/or household name is transmitted by the telephone company to the customer. Using Type 1 caller ID service, the caller ID information is transmitted generally during the silent interval between the first two rings. Type 1 caller ID systems which receive caller ID information from incoming calls when the called party is in an on-hook mode are known as Calling Identity Delivery (CID) systems. Type 2 caller ID service includes all Type 1 features but also accommodates the transmission of caller ID information while the called party is already off-hook with another party. The handset of the Type 2 called party""s customer premises equipment is muted while caller ID information is transmitted by the central office. Type 2 caller ID/call waiting service is abbreviated as CIDCW.
One conventional Type 1/Type 2 caller ID system is shown in FIG. 4 and includes customer premises equipment 111 having a number detector 112 which displays the telephone number of a calling party received from the central office 113 over the telephone line 114. For Type 1 functionality, when the customer premises equipment 111 is on-hook, the telephone number of the calling party is detected by the number detector 112 during the silent interval between the first and second rings and is compared with telephone numbers stored in a number directory 116 by a comparator 118. For Type 2 functionality, i.e., while in a call waiting mode, the caller ID information follows a caller ID alerting signal sequence (CAS tones). Comparator 118 is a processor, e.g., a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, or a microcontroller. The number directory 116 is stored in Read Only Memory (ROM). When the incoming telephone number from a calling party matches a telephone number in the number directory 116, that telephone number and the calling party""s household name associated with that telephone number are displayed on a display device 200. Alternatively, the number directory is located at the central office and household name information is transmitted to the customer premises equipment 111 in the known manner.
In the system described above, the called party is given the opportunity to see the listed household name and telephone number of the calling party before answering the call. Although the telephone number and household name is very helpful, it does not convey all of the phone number""s information to the customer, particularly if the caller is calling from a telephone number identified as a corporate account.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, customer premises equipment is provided for identifying the household name of a calling party, the telephone number of the calling party, and the location of the calling party. The equipment and method includes a directory of locations corresponding to telephone numbers. A receiver receives an incoming telephone number of an incoming telephone call and a comparator compares the received incoming telephone number with the directory of locations to identify a location associated with the incoming telephone number. The equipment also includes a display for displaying the received incoming telephone number, household name, and location.